Theme: Bloom Where You are Planted

(Jesus Prays for Unity

in the Christian Community)!

Key Preaching Verses

John 17.20-21: Jesus prays for all believers, “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Focus Questions

What do we Christians need to do to fulfil Jesus’ prayer that we , His followers, ought to be “one”?

What does “oneness in Christ” entail? Does unity, for example, mean uniformity or unity in diversity? What is the difference between the two?

Are you an agent of unity, love, forgiveness and reconciliation in the life of the Church? In what ways are you an “agent of Christian oneness”?

Do you work in unity with other Christians in Faith Community, within the established structures of our Church or are you a “lone ranger” who knows better than others?

Do you practice the “Ethical Standards of the Anglican Church of Strathpine” as adopted by the Parish Council? Why are these ethical standards important for developing a healthy Christian community?

Take Home Challenge:

American Luther Bishop David Preus said this to a Missouri Synod, “Many people seem to view the Church as a loaf of white bread”, but he preferred to think of the Church as “More like a fruitcake, where there is always room for a few nuts.”

Is there room for a “few nuts” at Faith Community? In other words is our Church an inclusive Christian Community that allows people to be themselves?

Do we expect people to conform (so that we can build a community of uniformity) or do we celebrate unity in diversity?

In what ways has our Church changed in the last few years? Are we moving in the right directions?